A Time For Darkness
by Matt Krezel
Summary: An ambush on a foggy London night leads James Bond to Russia, where he must race to stop an attempt by an old enemy to destroy not just him... but MI6 itself. Chapter 17 is now online. Reviews are wanted and welcomed.
1. Foggy Ambush

Chapter One: Foggy Ambush

The bells of Big Ben rang in the darkness. The fog only added to the screen that covered London at fifth teen minutes after two in the morning. The road was barely visible in the headlights of the Aston Martin DB5. The day was still young, but the fog kept those out in the bars inside them. But the empty road was prefect for driving the thoroughbred that was James Bond's DB.

Bond had been awakened at three and ordered to report immediately to Mi6 headquarters at Vaxhuall Cross by his boss, M. Bond was accustomed to the late night – early morning calls to report to Mi6. Bond's mind always wondered why he had been called up at the hours he was and this time was no exception.

Bond's cellular phone rang. Bond reached into the jacket of his suit and pulled it out. He flipped it open and pressed the green button and put it to his ear.

"Hello?" Bond answered quietly as the DB5 came around a small curve.

"James where are you?" It was the voice of Bill Tanner, Mi6's chief of staff and Bond's closet friend at MI6.

Bond was astonished and answered "On the way to report to M." Bond finished the sentence as the DB5 was overtaken by a black Land Rover.

"What? M didn't ask you to report to here. We've just learned of a possible Janus plot on your life." Tanner hurriedly yelled into the phone from his office.

"Janus?" Bond said. Janus was the Russian mafia organization that had been created by Alec Trevelyan, the former 006 who had nearly destroyed London with the GoldenEye EMP satellite. Bond had personally killed Trevelyan at his base in Cuba and it had been assumed that Janus hjad died with him.

"Yes. We've learned of an apparent cell in London that may be plotting an attempt on your life. "Tanner said loudly.

Suddenly, it happened. The black Land Rover's back came open and pulled directly in front of the DB5. A man appeared and pointed an AK-47 at the Bond.

Bond reacted quickly. He ducked as low as he could and reached for the weapons compartment under his seat.

The AK-47 roared to life as bullets smashed the bulletproof windshield, causing loud thuds as they impacted. Bond looked up and saw large white smash marks all over the windshield.

Bond had gotten his hands on the compartment and pushed the metal hooks that held it in and sled it out. The weapons compartment was nothing more than a large metal tray that contained a Walther PPK, a hand grenade and two spare clips for the PPK.

Bond pulled out the PPK and was preparing to lift up when he noticed that the man no longer had an AK-47, but a Stinger missile launcher.

Bond reached over to the edge of the seat and pulled the emergency brake with his right hand and turned the wheel sharply to the left.

The DB5's back tires locked as the DB5 did a spin and traveled across the road, narrowly missing several cars in the process. The astonished shooter did the only thing he knew to do: pull the trigger.

The Stinger smashed into the ground next to the passenger side, leaving a large hole in the pavement. The force of the blast smashed out the windows on the passenger side of the DB5, sending glass flying.

Bond heard the roar of the explosion and felt the glass smash the back of his head as he was still under the top of the dashboard. He soon felt a fluid pouring down his neck and the back of his head. Blood.

Bond didn't have time to look up and see that the DB5 was moments away from hitting a tree and almost 70 miles an hour. Bond felt his body flying forwards before smashing his head on the dashboard and fading into darkness as the sounds of a police siren approached slowly.


	2. Not The First, Nor The Last

Chapter Two: Not The First, Nor The Last

Within minutes, Bond was at MI6's medical facility inside the headquarters building. The resident doctor, the beautiful Molly Warmflash, had quickly examined Bond and found that the back of his head was in need of stitches and that he had suffered a minor injury to his skull when he slammed into the dashboard. She quickly stitched Bond's bleeding head up and he now he laid on the bed, still in his suit and enveloped in darkness.

Several floors above, M was reading the file that had gained her attention only hours earlier. There seemed to be an unusual amount of MI6 agents and operatives dying around the world. It the last year, twenty-two of Her Majesty's agents and operatives had been killed in so-called accidents and other causes. None of the analysts has formed a link between all of time and they were written off as "occupational-hazard related". That was until a report from MI5, the agency that dealt with spies, terrorists etc. inside Britain, had received a report from an undercover agent who claimed that a long thought dead Janus cell in London was back in action.

It was this report, that arrived marked URGENT, that connected the deaths of eighteen of the agents had been killed at the hands of Janus agents. Bond, it appeared, was to be death number nineteen. The deaths were connected by one thing and one thing only: a single coin. While this might not seem of any consequence, the coin had a different head on each side, no tail. It was Janus, the roman god with two faces, a grim calling card from a group long thought dead. The symbolism had been lost until the report from MI5 named Janus as the culprit, and the plot to kill 007.

M looked up from the file for a moment and looked out the window that overlooked the Thames. "How large is Janus?" She asked aloud, for there was nobody was to hear her. Before 007 had killed its leader, former 006 Alec Trevelyan in Cuba it had been a sizeable organization, being one of the largest in the Russian mafia. But after Trevelyan's death, the group had fallen part after a bloody "war" between factions trying to take control and the Russian police had picked off the members one by one until the Janus crime syndicate was virtually wiped out and just a memory in those who remembered them and a dusty file in the archives section.

Until now that was.

The intercom beeped and M turned it on. "Yes?" Her voice said quietly. "Doctor Warmflash just called. 007 is awake." Moneypenny, her secretary said from the office on the other side of the padded door. M looked up and thought of how to explain it all to Bond. She flipped the button again to respond and said "On my way." With that, M got up and began the short journey to the elevator and an encounter with James Bond.


	3. A Spy Awakened

Chapter Three: A Spy Awakened

The lights blinded his blue-gray eyes. Bond slammed his eyes shut at the sight of them. Gradually, Bond was able to adjust and looked around to see where he was. Bond noticed the medical equipment around him and noticed that of the ten beds that lined up each of the two walls of the large hall like room, he was the only occupant. Bond deduced that he was in a hospital or medical facility of some sorts and began to look for clues on exactly where this place was.

Bond searched the top of the table next to his bed, searching for the Walther that had been in his hand. It wasn't there, but there more there. There was his Omega Seamaster watch, his wallet and several medical instruments, including thread for stitches and a knife. Bond grabbed the knife and searched for a way out. Was Janus holding him? Was this the new medical facility at MI6? Where was he?

The only way out, the door with the electronic card reader, clicked suddenly. Bond ducked down next to his bed, hopefully out of site as he patiently waited for the person who had just entered.

Doctor Molly Warmflash entered and immediately noted that Bond was out of his bed and hiding somewhere. Molly knew him well enough to know that. She was the chief doctor at MI6 and had shared a short relationship with Bond while he and most of MI6 relocated to Scotland following the explosion that killed Sir Robert King here years ago. The two had met several times since and had over time become "very close friends".

Molly shook her head, her long brown hair moving with it. She sighed and began to walk along the rows of beds, her head moving back and forth between the two rows. She walked casually, her heels clicking in just that manner along the tiled floor. As she approached the end of the rows she called out "James!" There was only the sound of her breath and the clicking of her heels to answer back.

Bond recognized the voice. He must be at MI6, he thought to himself as his memories of Molly came flooding back. Bond almost stood up, but his mind ordered otherwise. It went back to the phone he had received at his flat, the sound of M's voice on the "un-tappable" phone by his bed and the foggy ambush that he had been sent into. Her voice could be just another trick by Janus. He gripped the knife tighter and prepared to strike.

Molly walked to the edge of Bond's bed and just as she was about to look down was grabbed by a hand and turned with her back to Bond. She felt a hand grab her chest and a knife to her throat. She knew it was Bond, perhaps on edge still from whatever had happened to him. She thought for a second and decided to say something. "This usually isn't your bedside manor, James." She said as she tried to force herself from trembling at the feel of the knife to her throat.

Bond pulled back the knife and turned Molly around. He glanced over her quickly, making sure that was the woman he had met and had known for years now. There was the beautiful long brown hair, the sensuous blue eyes and the gorgeous lips he remembered so well. Bond realized that he was indeed at MI6 and that this really was Molly. "Sorry, Molly." Bond said apologetically as he set the knife down on the table behind him. Molly smiled, accepting the apologetic tone. "It's all right. If I'd been in whatever happened to you I'd be cautious too." Molly said as Bond sat down on the bed.

"How many stitches?" Bond asked coolly as he rubbed his head, attempting to relieve the headache that pounded his head like the sound of a cannon exploding every second. "About twenty, give or take. I didn't count. I will tell you I spent an hour getting the glass out of the back of your head. You must have been in a car crash." Molly said as she searched Bond's head, first checking the stitches and then to see if there were any injuries she might have missed.

There was an eerie several seconds as Bond thought of what to say. She guessed he had been in a car crash and she didn't know Janus had attacked him. And somewhere in the computer that was Bond's brain was the ever-lingering doubt that he might not really be at MI6. Bond finally chose to say, "You could say that I was in a crash."

By the time Bond answered, Molly was too busy checking Bond's head to pay attention to his answer. She found nothing wrong and smiled. "Well you came out of it in one piece, more or less. I don't usually get called at two-thirty in the morning to come stitch up a double-0 agents head." She said with a smile, which didn't change Bond's mood at all. He was deep in thought and not paying attention to what she was saying. "I'll call M. She wants to come down and see you right away." Molly said as she pulled out the keycard and was walked to the door, swiped the card and left.

Bond laid down on the bed, the events in the Db5 playing out over and over again. He began to wonder whether or not he had made the right choice when he pulled the hand brake and put the DB5 into a spin. Had anybody been injured or killed when the Stinger slammed into the ground next to the DB5? What about the DB5 slamming into what he assumed was a tree. Had he killed anybody? Whatever the case he would have his questions answered very soon, ten minutes later to be exact.


	4. A Call To The Dead

Chapter Four: A Call To The Dead

At the same time that Bond was awakening, a telephone conversation was occurring. It took place at an abandoned warehouse that a foggy view of the Thames River. The Land rover that had attacked Bond and his Aston Martin DB5 had been spotted there and a group of police officers were watching the place. Meanwhile, they placed a tap on the telephone line to see if anybody was making calls out. The following is a transcript of the conversation that was carried on between the unidentified man who attacked Bond and his apparent controller in St. Petersburg, known only as "Janus":

Janus: Hello?

Man: Is anybody there?

Janus: Yes. What is it?

Man: The attack was carried out.

Janus: Good. Was it successful?

Man: We don't know.

Janus: What do you mean by that?

Man: Exactly that, Janus.

Janus: You were supposed to fire upon the car with the AK-47. If that didn't work, you were to use the Stinger.

Man: We did. The Stinger missed.

Janus: How?

Man: Bond-

Janus: Did what?

Man: He...he...he...

Janus: Speak!

Man: (Hurriedly) He spun the car out of control and the Stinger impacted next to it.

Janus: Damn! You've failed. Without a doubt the police have found you!

Man: Not possible.

Janus: What?

Man: Nobody followed us here.

Janus: So?

Man: We are just another black Land Rover driving around London Bond never fired at us so there are no bullet holes to worry about.

Janus: Witnesses?

Man: It was an empty road.

Janus: Still, you failed.

Man: Bond is dead!

Janus: I don't think so.

Man: Why?

Janus: We've got an insider.

Man: An insider? At-

Janus:-MI6? Yes. The insider reports taht Bond is alive at the Medical Facility.

Man: But, Janus-

Janus: No buts. You have had your chance. Now Bond will come to Russia and hunt us down. You've endangered our plans for the future. Now I'll have my chance.

Man: We can still get him, janus. We can-

Janus: Too late. The police are outside.

Man: What?

Janus: You're a naive fool. I'll prove it to you. Goodbye.

Man: Ho-

At this point, the line went quiet. The police watching the warehouse reported a large explosion coming from the office on the top level of the warehouse. The explosion took out a large section of the building. But, before could be taken, a series of explosions occurred. The explosion weakened the foundation of the warehouse to the point of collapse. The officers raced towards the warehouse, only to have the land Rover explode, killing two of them.


	5. Two Options, One Outcome

Chapter Five: Two Options, One Outcome

Bond was still lying on the bed when M entered. Bond looked at her and sat up as she walked towards him. "How are feeling, 007?" M asked with a slight sense of worry in her voice. Bond gave a cold stare and said with such coldness "Like I jumped through a window."

M sighed silently. As Bond got up and began to walk to the end of the bed, ot was obvious that there was a secret anger that started to build up inside of him. His blue-gray eyes with burning with it. "What happened?" Bond asked as his eyes followed M's slow walk from the door and towards his bed. "Janus somehow tapped the phone line that runs from here to your flat. They used my voice to lure you out." M said as she came to stop at the foot of his bed. Bond turned towards her and with the same coldness as before said "And you found out?"

M nodded. "MI5 received a report from a agent inside what was thought to be a rogue Janus cell here in London. The agent reported that you were to be attacked this morning. We called your flat, but we were too late. Tanner called your mobile phone just before you were attacked." M said as Bond came toe to toe with her. She looked up to find two piercing eyes staring down at her and a scalp of wild black hair in terrible shape.

"Where are they?" Bond said firmly with a quiet rage. M answered just as firm "The docks here in London. Police have it surrounded and are preparing to raid it." Bond looked at the door for a moment and then turned his eyes back to M. Just as Bond was opening his mouth to speak, M stuck up her right hand and said one simple word "No."

Bond exhaled in anger. M turned away and began to walk across to the other bed. "You won't be allowed to help raid their headquarters." "I have to. They tried to kill me." Bond said as he took a step back. M sighed and turned around. "There aren't many people still living that hasn't tried to kill you 007." M answered back after a moment of silence. "Then what's keeping me from taking part then?" Bond asked as he stepped towards M, his shoes tapping floor. "You are in no condition because you have a head full of stitches."

"Than what is the status of the surveillance?" Bond asked after realizing that there was no point in continuing to argue with M. "I'm expecting a report anytime now from the officers watching over the warehouse." At that very moment, the electronic lock beeped and Moneypenny, wearing a blue blouse with a black jacket and skirt, entered holding a piece of paper. Moneypenny took the same walk M had and handed the piece of paper to M when she reached her. Moneypenny looked over at Bond and said "Morning, James. See you have a head full of stitches." Bond was able to build up a smile. "I'd much rather have had my eyes full of you, Moneypenny." Bond said, giving Moneypenny a large smile. M looked up at Bond and then at Moneypenny and shook her head. She read the piece of paper and then handed it back to Moneypenny. "Look's like as though there won't be a raid. The warehouse just exploded, killing two officers. They did pick up a phone call, though. They are tracing where it was made to but the assumption is it's somewhere inside Russia." M said with a cold and matter of fact attitude as Moneypenny walked back towards the door. "Then there is no other choice." Bond said as he picked up his Omega Seamaster watch off the table and put it on his right wrist. M looked at Bond puzzled before realizing what he meant. "We are going to send someone to Russia to investigate." M said. "And I know who you'll be sending." Bond said to M as he walked past her.

"I know you want revenge, 007. But I'm not sure you need to be put on the case." M said harshly, prompting Bond to turn around halfway to the door. "You're sense of vengeance could compromise the mission. We need to know who's behind this new Janus, and does not include having you go in on a personal vendetta against them." With those words, Bond began to walk slowly towards M. There had not been a since of tension like this between the two of them since Bond had been released from North Korea and Bond had been accused of being a traitor. "This isn't a personal vendetta. I'm the only one who's dealt with Janus in the past and I'm the only one who can find out what they're up to." Bond said as both him and M walked closer and closer. "But what says you aren't like you were with Franz Sanchez?" M said as the two came toe to toe, face to face.

Bond lingered on the thought of the events that had transpired in Key West and Isthmus City that had led to Bond having his license to kill revoked and his killing international drug cartel leader Franz Sanchez. He had been lucky that the current M's predecessor, Admiral Sir Miles Messervy had allowed him back into MI6 and to regain his 00 prefix and, with that, his license to kill. "Then you'll have to decide." Bond said in a low and cold tone of voice. "I could let you go to Russia or you'll resign and pursue it on your own, correct?" M said as she watched Bond's face for any sign of emotion, only to find there was none. Bond didn't give M an answer, leaving a heavy air of silence to cling to their ears. Finally, M opened her mouth and quietly said "As soon as Doctor Warmflash clears you, get on the first plane to St. Petersburg."

M walked past Bond and headed towards the door. Bond watched M leave with a slight smile with silent thankfulness.


	6. Gadgets, Girls, And Guns

Chapter Six: Gadgets, Girls, And Guns

Doctor Warmflash released Bond from the medical facility shortly after M returned to her office. Bond then made his way to an elevator and took it down several floors to the technical section of MI6, Q – Branch.

Bond stepped out to find himself enveloped in a high tech world with computers and gadgets on many tables in the large room. Bond walked forward with caution, out of the fear that something might explode near him. As Bond walked by what seemed to be a normal can of shaving cream, it suddenly and rapidly beeped. It took Bond a second to recognize what it was and when he did he threw himself onto the hard floor. Bond had barely hit the ground when the can loudly exploded in a bright fireball. Bond got up off the floor and as brushed the dust off of his suit he heard a familiar voice say "Sorry about that, 007."

Bond turned around to find Q twirling a razor in his right hand, goggles over his eyes, and a thick pair of headphones around his neck. Bond smiled at Major Boothroyd's replacement and took the razor. Bond searched it over and found a button on the end of the handle. Bond handed back the razor to Q and said, "This could give you serious razor burn."

"That's the point, 007." Q said as he sat down the razor on the table behind him. "The can _was _full of a plastic explosive that was hidden under a layer of shaving cream to full customs. The razor is a waterproof remote detonator. The button sets off the blast from distances of about 100 feet and is capable of giving you the world's closet shave with a razor." Q continued on proudly.

Bond smiled and said "Sound's like a commercial, Q." Q shook his head in disgust and started to walk towards a table in the middle of the room. Bond noticed that on the table was a strap with what appeared to be a short pistol barrel with a pair of shoes identical to the ones he was wearing, an ink pen, an Omega Seamaster watch and a seemingly ordinary beeper.

Q picked up the strap with the attached barrel and. "This miniature weapon, strapped to an agent's ankle, is a single shot pistol with a barrel only a few millimeters longer than the cartridge. The cartridge is fired electrically, the trigger sensor being built into the heel of the agent's shoe. Rotating the heel counterclockwise while applying pressure causes a spring to be released and the barrel to orient itself towards the rear. Rotating the heel clockwise while applying pressure aims the barrel towards the front. Firing automatically occurs within milliseconds of the spin. The weapon is for extremely short range as the bullet is fired at an angle of at least forty-five degrees from the horizontal. The bullet will pass harmlessly over someone in the front 10 feet away, but will catch someone five feet away in the upper chest or head. The angle for the rear shot will miss someone even five feet away. The extreme rear angle is intended to hit an opponent who has grabbed the agent from behind. The cartridge is a specially modified .357 Magnum." Bond took the device and the shoes and having made sure they were his size looked at Q. "Am I going to need another pair of pants after this thing goes off?"

Q nodded. "Yes. The cartridge will put a small hole in the pants you are wearing so you might need another pair." Q then picked the ink pen and said "Inside this fountain pen is a low energy cartridge/pen tip which is attached to 20 feet of wire. The wire, neatly coiled in a helix inside the pen cylinder, is connected to a potent lithium battery. An agent points the pen at his adversary and twists the top of the pen. The tip fires as a barbed projectile that sticks to whatever it hits. The target when it is hit receives many hundreds of volts of electricity, enough to deliver an incapacitating charge through a shirt and trenchcoat. The effect of the shock is usually unconsciousness lasting several minutes."

Bond took the pen and put it in his pocket. "This could really get rid of your pen pals, Q." Q shook his head and said "You never grow up, 007." Bond smiled and said, "What's the point when you can knock out with your writing?" Q sighed and picked up the watch. "This is one of the projects that I'm particularly proud of. It is the newest upgrades to your standard equipment. As you now its able to shoot a laser beam that can cut through 3 centimeters of steel and shoot a small filament 15 meters long with a motorized hook that can support 200 kilos. Now it has a GPS chip inside activated by pushing a button in case of an emergency, the ability to control the standard issue magnetic mines, and the ability see in the dark with a very powerful light system."

Bond took off the Omega Seamaster on his left wrist and handed to Q, who gave Bond the newer version. Bond slid on the watch and tightened it to fit his wrist. "At least it still tells time." Q ignored Bond and threw the older watch into a garbage can across the table. Bond looked grimly at the garbage can and said to Q "It was still working, Q." Q sighed at Bond's comment and shook his head.

Q picked up the beeper, which looked ordinary enough. "By twisting the belt clip 180 degrees, the beeper becomes an armed stun grenade. Obviously, the beeper is destroyed after it's used in this capacity." Bond smiled and said "Obviously." Q gave Bond a quick glance and then went back to explaining his invention. " By twisting the belt clip 90 degrees counter-clockwise, the beeper's display becomes a simple radar to help locate guards or intruders. The radar's maximum range is 25 feet, fanning out to a 10-foot width at the end. It can detect any human-size movement even behind walls. Each separate movement is displayed as a small dot in a 5-inch increment grid that provides its range. The radar can be used for 5 minutes before needing a recharge, and it must be pointed in the desired direction."

Bond took the beeper and attached it to his belt. "Now we've put a large amount of time and effort into the gadgets and I expect them to be returned in pristine working order as always." Bond smiled "I'll do my best, Q." Q shook his head and then said, "You'll need something to drive, 007. Especially after you wrecked the DB5." Bond looked at Q for a moment and said "I didn't mean to –" But Q cut him off. "You'll be using the recently upgraded Aston Martin V12 Vanquish. It's in the parking garage where you're DB5 has been. We had to remove the adaptive camouflage after out tests showed it to be easy to deactivate. It does have the ejector seat, torpedoes, target-seeking shotguns, an acid slick that dissolves the rubber found in tires and has a series of propellers behind the rear bumper and fins that come out from above the wheels. The Vanquish can run on water as deep as 5 feet and as fast as 35 knots." Q said proudly as he handed Bond the keys to the Vanquish.

"I'll only bomb around it, Q." Bond said as he started to walk back towards the elevator. Q shook his head and said, "That's what I'm afraid of." And went back to work as bond got in the elevator.

Bond stepped out of the elevator to go to his office to collect a few things where Moneypenny met him. "M wants you. There is someone she wants you to meet." Moneypenny said as she used her beautiful eyes to point to M's office. Bond nodded and followed Moneypenny to M's office. "Who is it, Penny?" Bond asked as they turned the corner and walked down the corridor to M's office. "I don't know. Someone from MI5." Moneypenny responded as they came to the door to Moneypenny's office. Bond opened it and waited for Moneypenny to enter. "After you, Moneypenny." Bond said as held the door open. "No, after you. I insist." Moneypenny responded firmly. Bond sighed and entered first, leaving Moneypenny to shut the door. Bond walked to the door leading to M's office and prepared to meet some old bureaucrat. Bond opened the door and saw that standing across from M was a beautiful brunette woman who took the air out of the room without even looking at him.


	7. Carla

Chapter Seven: Carla

M looked away from the woman in front of her and found Bond standing by the door. His eyes were transfixed on the woman with dark brown hair who stood in front of her. M waited a moment before breaking the cold silence that gripped the room by saying, "Hello, 007."

"Good morning, M. So, who's this?" Bond asked as he walked to the two chairs in front of M's desk. Bond studied the woman for a moment as he walked towards her. She stood about 5 feet, 9 inches and had a very inviting figure. Her hair came down to her shoulders and shielded her face from anyone who looked from behind. Bond came to a stop next to the woman and waited for an introduction.

The woman turned towards Bond and revealed a beautiful face that was aided by brown eyes and large sensuous lips that drew Bond's attention like a magnet.

"I'm Carla Evening. And you are?" The woman said as she stuck out her hand in anticipation of a handshake.

"Bond. James Bond." Bond said as he accepted her hand with his in a handshake. 'So you work for MI5?" Bond asked as they both withdrew their hands back to their respective sides.

"I actually work for MI6. I was the MI6 representative into the investigation into what we then thought to be a rogue Janus cell here in London." Carla explained in a Welsh accent.

"I ended up going undercover and joined the cell. That's how I got to know about the attempt to kill you."

Bond looked at Carla with a sudden suspicion. It seemed odd that the building that Janus was using was destroyed and Carla didn't seem to be there. "I assume then you were at MI5 when the building Janus was using destroyed?" Bond asked, his voice quietly hiding the suspicion as Bond's piercing blue gray eyes revealing the suspicion.

"Yes. I was told to go home and I reported straight to MI5. I'm sorry I couldn't have been sooner." Carla explained, her voice carrying the knowledge that she knew of Bond's suspicions. Bond only returned a quiet, almost angry stare in return.

"Miss Evening brought the transcript of a conversation that was made just before the building exploded." M interrupted, handing a folder a standard MI6 folder with two pages inside to Bond. He opened it and quickly read it.

When he finished, bond closed it and put it back on M's desk. A look of anger and revenge appeared in bond's eyes. "They have a source inside this building." Bond said in a grim tone as he looked first at M, and then at Carla.

"Yes. I'll have a security search started immediately. The source obviously knew enough to get the phone line tapped. I'll keep you and Miss Evening informed while you're both in Russia." M said in hope of breaking the tension between the two agents. Her voice carried a sense of worry that a criminal group had penetrated her organization.

Bond suddenly looked away from Carla towards M. "She's coming with me?" Bond said in a moment of not very well hidden shock. M looked into Bond's eyes.

"Yes. She's a candidate for 00 status and this will determine if she's ready to go into the training school in the Falklands. I assume then, you'll have no problem finding Miss Evening a reliable partner, 007. Good luck." M said firmly as she leaned back some in her chair. With that Bond and Carla left M's office, leaving M alone to prepare to brief the Prime Minister thirty minutes later.

Bond and Carla walked into Moneypenny's office just as Moneypenny hung up the phone on her desk. "I've booked two tickets for British Airways flight 315 to St. Petersburg. You'll pick up your tickets at Heathrow." Moneypenny said as Bond and Carla entered. Moneypenny looked Carla over. "Watch out for, James. He can be a very demanding partner from what I hear." Moneypenny said to Carla.

Carla only smiled. "Oh, I think I can keep 007 in line." Carla said in a very sensuous tone. Bond smiled and Carla walked out of the office.

"Keep your shirt on, James." Moneypenny said with a smile as she began to type on the computer keyboard again.

Bond smiled and walked over to Moneypenny. He reached over and stroked her brown hair and took the pair of glasses off her face. "That will only be for you, Moneypenny." Bond said with a wide smile. Bond then replaced the glasses on Moneypenny's face and walked off. Moneypenny smiled as Bond walked out the door and adjusted her glasses that Bond had put on her crocked. She sighed as she always did, shook her head, and went back to typing.

Barely 90 minutes later, British Airways flight 315 took off from Heathrow on a four hour trek to St. Petersburg and the answer to who had ordered the attempt on the life of one of her majesty's secret servants.


	8. The Return

Chapter Eight: The Return

After three hours in the air, the plane landed safely in St. Petersburg, Russia. Bond and Carla had been able to get their luggage quickly since there were few people on the plane and, thanks to Q Branch's anti-X-Ray technology, their guns also. Bond and Carla had made their way outside the airport terminal and now had a view of the parking lot and adjacent area.

Bond studied the parking lot. It hadn't changed much in ten years at all. It still had the same buildings, though a little older and showing that. The cars were newer, but where they parked hadn't changed at all. There were still the many homeless people on the streets and so were the tourists they would beg for money. In many respects, Russia hadn't changed much since he had left it. Or had it? Janus was still alive, so to speak. An unknown person or persons were now heading it and for all Bond knew, a sniper could be pointing a gun at him and Carla at that very moment.

Carla tugged at Bond's shoulder. "Are you all right, Commander Bond?" She asked. Bond's mind had come back to the present and he turned to Carla. She had a slightly worried look on her face, more for concern on Bond then on whether or not there were killers out to get them. Bond nodded and stepped out into the parking lot. Carla followed, not entirely sure of what Bond was up to.

"Do you mind telling me what you are doing, Commander?" Carla asked as they walked past a row of parked cars and towards a homeless man. Carla studied the man for a moment. He looked to be about Bond's age with gray hair, dark glasses, crumpled clothes, and a false left leg. She couldn't think of a reason why Bond would be walking towards this man. 

"Making contact, Miss Midnight." Bond responded with some annoyance. Carla wasn't much of a field agent Bond confided to himself. It was hard to believe that this "agent" hadn't had much field experience. But Bond reminded himself to keep an open mind. He had underrated female agents in the past with near fatal consequences for himself…and fatal ones for others.

The two agents came to a stop in front of the homeless man. It took the man a moment to notice them before he picked up his cup and stuck it out for money. Carla looked dumbfounded for a moment before Bond turned to her and signaled to give the man some money. Carla spent a minute digging around in her pockets before pulling out some coins and putting them in the cup. Bond smiled at the man and started walking away. Carla followed, a bit more dumbfounded then before. As soon as they had made ten feet away from him, the homeless man stood up and yelled at them.

"You Brits are still way to cheap for my taste." The strong Texan accent of Felix Lieter called out. Bond smiled and turned around looking at his friend of many years. Carla caught on after a moment and looked angrily at Bond.

"That's Felix Lieter? That's how you make contact?" Carla asked angrily. Bond laughed and Felix took off the fake beard and took off the fake shirt to reveal a nicer, but still wrinkled, white shirt underneath. Felix picked up his cane and slowly made his way to Bond. Bond turned to Carla and smiled.

"It was discreet wasn't it?" Bond said. He made his way down the sidewalk to Felix and the two men shook hands as they had done many times before. "How was the flight here, Felix?"

Felix laughed. "Not mad considering I had to be on a plane almost as soon as you had been attacked. The CIA called me up and asked me to come here in case M sent you here." Felix responded back. The two men then turned to the stunned Carla Midnight.

"I'm sorry but aren't you retired, Mr. Lieter?" Carla asked as the two men came walking towards her. Felix and Bond smiled at each other as they walked at a slow enough pace for Felix's false leg.

"Hell no, little lady. Sanchez might have gotten might my leg, but he didn't completely take me out of action." Felix answered with the boyish smile that had yet to fade. Carla nodded, half understanding. The file on bond had him down as retired, but what it really meant was "semi-retired". 

"Now that your hear, Felix, let me introduce you to Carla Midnight." Bond said as the three people came with arm distance of each other. Carla and Felix shook hands as Bond stood back and watched for a moment. The handshake lasted only a few moments, but there was a feeling of discomfort on Carla's part considering she had thought of him to be a homeless man just a few minutes before. 

"I've got your Aston Martin parked around the corner, James." Felix said as they began walking again. It had been years since the two men had last seen each other and that had been in the hospital not long after Felix had lost his leg to a shark down in the Florida Keys. But that didn't matter now. The two men picked up their friendship as if they had last seen each other yesterday.

As they came around the corner, they saw the Vanquish sitting there. There was nobody near it, and there was only one car nearby. It was a black Mercedes Benz that had been extended into a limousine. Bond and Felix exchanged glances and Felix showed Bond that he had a gun strapped to the top of his fake leg in case there was any funny business from the black Mercedes.

As Bond and Carla went towards the Vanquish, the passenger side door on the Mercedes opened and a very familiar looking man stepped out. Bond cautiously looked at the man for a moment before realizing this was indeed the man he thought it was. Bond stepped forward and spoke in Russian, "Forgive me, General Gogol, but this is turning into a bit of a family reunion."


	9. Truth Or Death

Chapter Nine: Truth Or Death

Gogol smiled at Bond and stepped towards him. Bond did the same and soon the two men shook hands. Carla realized who Gogol was in time to see the two men shake hands. Felix just smiled at the two men who, despite being on opposite sides of the Cold War, were still good friends. Once the two men were done shaking hands, Bond and Gogol turned to Carla and Felix and the introductions began.

"General Gogol, may I introduce Carla Midnight of MI6 and Felix Lieter." Bond said. Gogol held out his hand and Carla, followed by Felix, shook Gogol's hand. Gogol then turned back t Bond with a slight smile.

"So what are you doing back in Russia, Commander?" Gogol asked as he signaled the three agents to his car. Bond did not follow Gogol but stood where he was. It took Gogol several seconds to realize that Bond wasn't coming. Gogol turned around and looked at Bond. "Are you not coming, Commander?" Gogol asked.

"No I'm not." Bond said as he shook his head in the same response. Gogol looked at Bond for a moment, smiled, and gave out a slight chuckle. Gogol nodded in agreement and the two men began walking. Carla attempted to follow, but Felix stopped her.

"What are you doing? We're in enemy territory and we need to back him up." Carla said in a near whisper. Felix looked at her and smiled. Carla looked at the veteran agent blankly for a moment and then signaled at the Aston Martin.

"We'll follow them in the car, Miss Midnight." Felix said as he reached into his pocket and pulled a set of car keys. Carla looked astonished, as if she had witnessed a magic trick and then followed Felix to the Vanquish.

As Felix and Carla were getting in the Vanquish, Bond and Gogol we're walking towards a small park. The conversation started as a simple catch-up to what the two men had been up to since they had last seen each other, which had been at a concert for Cello player Kara Milovy. Bond was still in MI6 and Gogol was now a highly trusted analyst in the Russian government. If there were anybody who would know anything about the resurrected Janus, it would be Gogol.

"Now that we're caught up General, what do you know about the new Janus?" Bond asked as they crossed the street to the edge of the small park. Gogol looked blankly for a moment. But the look on Bond's face told him he wasn't joking. Gogol searched his vast memory for an answer.

"They were a crime syndicate run by Alec Trevelyan, who defected to us in the late 1980's. It thrived during the period after the break-up of the U.S.S.R. until 1995. Prior to 1995, we knew very little other then they were big international arms dealers, mostly selling our equipment to terrorists. Then they stole the Goldeneye and it was revealed by MI6, you if I remember right, that they stole it and that it was being run by Trevelyan." Gogol said, putting emphasis on the part about Bond. Bond seemed not to care about his role in the affair and Gogol continued.

"Trevelyan left the country and attempted to hijack Goldeneye for the purpose of destroying London. But he was killed in the attempt along with a woman named Onatopp. With both of their deaths, Janus was thrown into chaos. There was a vicious power struggle between members of the group and one by one the group was arrested and put away. As of the year 2000 there was nothing left of the group in Russia. The vast majority of its cells around the globe were shut down and the group deemed dead." Gogol finished as they walked up to the edge of a large pond.

"Are you sure there's nothing left?" Bond asked as he surveyed the park, looking for danger. Bond saw nothing but mothers with children and old men playing chess, which weren't dangerous. But Bond wasn't taking any chance that somewhere in the park was a Janus assassin.

"Yes. Janus is no longer active." Gogol responded back. Gogol showed a sense of worry on his face. It was beginning to appear like there was something of Janus left alive. "Why? What's happened?"

Bond began to recount the story of the last few hours. The ambush in London, the warehouse in London, the deaths of agents around the world with a two headed coin left as a calling card. As Bond told the story, Gogol looked horrified. Bond had been wrong. It appeared that Gogol had heard nothing about Janus. But, as Bond quickly remembered, appearances could be deceiving.

"Good god. The rumors are true." Gogol said as they started walking around the pond. Bond was intrigued. There were rumors about a new Janus? Bond was about to ask, but Gogol spoke first.

"There have been rumors that certain members of the Mafia have been attempting to bring Janus back. The FSB investigated the rumors but have found no basis in fact for them." Gogol said. Bond turned to Gogol and began to speak.

"It's not other mob groups. It has to be someone who was involved with the group. The murders of our agents around the globe suggest that. The question is who from Janus in left to run it?" Bond said as they passed the old men playing chess. None of the old men looked up, but Bond was sure they had heard something of the conversation.

"You are quite right. As far as we are aware, there isn't any of the major heads of Janus who aren't in jail. All that's left are a few thugs at the lowest level who managed not to get caught." Gogol said as they passed by a large tree. There was a sound that alerted both men. Bond reached for his Walther the moment he saw what had caused the sound.

The man sitting in the backseat of the van silently muttered the Russian equivalent of a English swear word. He looked down the scope of the sniper rifle in his hand, trying desperately to figure out how he could have struck the tree and not either of the men. The man took aim for a second shot, the crosshairs on the forehead of the dark-haired man. When the man pulled out the Walther, the sniper realized he couldn't make another shot.

Bond had spotted the barrel of a sniper rifle coming out of the rear window on a blue van straight across from him and Gogol. Bond pushed Gogol down and fired two 9mm bullets in quick succession. Both struck the window, shattering it like a fragile block of ice. Bond looked and realized that whoever had been holding the sniper rifle might not been struck. Bond ran towards the van, trying to ignore the freighted people in the park.

Before Bond could get out of the park, the engine on the van roared to life. Bond could barely make the figure of the driver, but it was enough to take aim. Bond attempted to fire, but the van moved and sent three bullets striking into the side of the van instead. Bond ran out into the road, hoping to get another shot or give chase. Bond realized at that moment that the chase was on.


	10. Up, Around, And All Over

Chapter Ten: Up, Around, And All Over

The Aston Martin Vanquish, being driven by Carla with Felix in the passenger seat next to her, came into view of the events unfolding in the park around the time that Bond ran into the street. Carla was able to bring the car to a stop just before the car would have hit Bond. Bond looked rather shocked at seeing Carla in the driver's seat, but didn't hesitate to open the car door.

Carla unbuckled the safety belt and got herself into the rather small backseat of the Vanquish. She had enough training to know something was going on and to let Bond handle it. But she still had to ask what was happening. "What's going on?" She demanded.

"Someone in a blue van just took a shot at me and General Gogol, Carla." Bond said as he the Vanquish's V12 engine roared to life and Bond gave chase. The sleek car swerved around the edge of the park and brought the van into full view of the weapons. Bond looked at the options on the dashboard and made a quick decision to activate the target-seeking shotguns.

In a fraction of a second the two 12-guage shotguns appeared from beneath the hood of the Vanquish and with a roar fired twice each. The small projectiles then traveled downrange and struck the van. Bond, Felix, and Carla watched as sparks covered the rear of the van from top to bottom, but it seemed as though the driver would not stop. Bond attempted to fire again, but as he did the van went around the corner and out of the field of vision.

Bond cursed aloud and thought for a split-second. There was no way he could catch-up with the van…or was there? Bond turned the Vanquish and within two to three seconds it was on the path around the park heading for the other side. Bond's plan: intercept the van.

For about twenty seconds the Vanquish roared across the park. Old men who had playing chess found themselves ducking out of the path of destruction, being forced to watch as the car destroyed their chessboards and pieces went flying in every imaginable direction. People were either leaping out of the car's path or watching it stunned as though it was a train going down a country road.

Inside the Vanquish, Felix was obviously enjoying the ride. He was smiling and laughing in the same way he had years earlier when, working with Bond, they had captured Franz Sanchez. Carla sat in the backseat, nearly terrified at the thought of roaring trough the park with her in it. But Bond was focused. He took his right hand and held it in a hover over the button on the consul marked "Acid Slick". Almost as soon as they had entered, though the Vanquish came out on the other side of the park, no more then five seconds ahead of the van. Bond waited for only a moment before pressing the button.

Located next to the exhaust pipe on the rear end of the Vanquish, the pipe for the ejecting of the Acid Slick was connected to a large container located just under the trunk compartment. Within milliseconds of Bond pressing the button, the Acid Slick began to slide down the pipe and within a second of pressing the button, the Acid Slick was covering a two foot square area of the road way.

The van driver came around the corner and found an Aston Martin right in front of him. The van driver attempted to swerve, but he noticed something wrong with his right side tires. Suddenly there were two loud pops and the van was out of control. The driver opened his door and rolled out as the van went for a few seconds and then crashed into the pond in the middle of the park.

Bond stopped the Vanquish. He put the Walther into his right hand, opened the door with his left, and rolled out with his Walther pointing in the direction of where the van had been. Bond saw a man getting up and yelled stop at him in Russian. The man turned and looked at him for a moment and began to run. Bond followed him and yelled at Felix and Carla to follow. Carla climbed out of the car and told Felix to drive, shutting the door on the stunned face of Felix Lieter.

Bond ran after the man, keeping the Walther in his right hand and his left hand free. The driver had apparently ran down and ally and Bond intended to follow, bringing the Walther within his vision as he crossed into the ally. Bond checked the ally and didn't see the man, but looking up he caught a glimpse of the man jumping from one rooftop to the other. Bond looked for a frantic second for a ladder to climb but saw that the only one was on the other side of the ally and too far if Bond hoping to catch up with the van driver.

Bond slipped off his Omega Seamaster watch. Pointing it just above the edge of the rooftop so that it would strike a doorway, Bond fried the small filament 10 meters before it embedded itself upon impact. Bond held the watch tight and ran towards the edge of the building, activating the motorized hook. Bond was lifted into the air for approximately ten seconds before being able to get the roof's edge. Bond pulled himself up and reeled back in the edge of the filaments hook. Bond scanned the sights with his Walther and found himself slightly in front of the driver. Bond dodged in the doorway, hoping that the driver had not seen him.

The driver had apparently not seen him because he jumped onto the roof and ran right next to the doorway. Bond pistol-whipped the man, breaking his nose in the process and sending him to the ground. Bond lowered the Walther, pointing it at the man's head and putting a tight grip on the trigger. But the man had an unexpected surprise in store for Bond.

The man had regained his senses quickly enough to knock Bond off his feet with a single kick. The man then reached towards his ankle and pulled out a pistol of his own, taking aim at Bond. Bond was back on his feet in enough time to see that there was now a small pistol aimed at him. Bond aimed at the man's head as the man aimed his gun at Bond's heart.

"Lower the gun or I'll kill you." The man said to Bond in Russian. Bond didn't respond, he just stared down the Walther's barrel. Neither man was nervous. Both knew that the other had the ability to kill each other. For what must have seemed like an eternity, the two men stood in silence, both contemplating not only the demise of the man in front of them, but their own as well.

Finally, the man in front of Bond suddenly became loose and began to lower his gun. Bond was about to speak when suddenly, the back of the man's head exploded in a burst of red and gray. Bond could only watch as the man's now lifeless body fell to his feet. Bond could feel the man's blood as it poured out of his head and Bond's shoes.

"Are you all right, Bond?" Carla's voice suddenly yelled out. Bond did not answer. He stared at the body of the one man he had met so far who could have answered his questions. Carla spoke again. Bond turned to her, anger flashing in his eyes. Carla stood only a few feet away, holding her own Walther PPK in her hand, it's barrel still pointed at the dead man. Carla lowered her gun with the realization that she had, in fact, killed the man.

"What were you thinking?" Bond yelled out at her, his anger very thinly disguised.

"He was about to kill you I had to shoot." Carla said, trying to defend her actions trough her shock.

"He could have led us to whoever was behind this and you killed him!" Bond yelled as he walked towards Carla. Carla looked at him with the blank look one gives from being shocked. She wasn't sure what to say.

"He was going to kill you! What else could I have done?" Carla asked as she yelled back. By now, Bond was within arms reach of Carla. Bond put the Walther in its holster and stared into Carla's eyes.

"He was lowering his gun when you shot him. You have effectively killed our only lead." Bond said. Carla looked at him, her mind attempting to comprehend the information she had just been given. Bond said nothing as he walked back over to the doorway, opened the door, and disappeared down the stairs. Carla stood in stunned silence for several moments; the sounds of St. Petersburg's traffic her only companions.


	11. Revelations In Darkness

Chapter Eleven: Revelations In Darkness

As Bond and Carla chased the would-be assassin, Felix and Gogol were left on the ground near the Vanquish. Felix had quickly made his way into the park to Gogol, who was still were Bond had left him.

"Are you all right, General?" Felix asked as he re-holstered his 9mm ASP pistol. Gogol nodded in response as he got up.

"Where's Bond?" Gogol asked as him and Felix walked towards the Vanquish. As they did, Felix explained the series of events that had occurred leading to Bond and Carla leaping out of the Vanquish. Gogol did not seem too surprised to be hearing of this recent exploit. "Sounds like Commander Bond." He chuckled.

Carla's shot ripper through the air just moments later as they reached the Vanquish. Felix took the ASP back out of its holster and signaled Gogol to get into the Vanquish. Gogol did not however, much to Felix's surprise. Felix opened his mouth to ask, but he received the answer before he could.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Gogol said, as his voice changed from a man's Russian accent to a more feminine English accent. Felix's suspicions grew even more as he decided to raise the ASP towards Gogol, or whoever this person might be. But as he did so, a sudden force struck him with a sharp pain in the back of his neck. He then felt the ASP slip out of his hands as he slipped into darkness.

As Felix hit the ground, the person pretending to be Gogol signaled the Mercedes to come over to him. The Mercedes pulled alongside the man as the rear door opened, the man loaded Felix into the car, handing him off to an unseen man inside the Mercedes, and then climbed in himself. The Mercedes pulled away at a slow enough speed as not to be noticed by anyone. The whole process of the kidnapping had taken less then fifteen seconds.

As the Mercedes drove out of the area, the man removed the Gogol mask to reveal that it was not even a man impersonating Gogol, but a woman. The woman took her blond hair out of a bun and let it fall to the middle of her back. She straightened out her hair as her brown eyes surveyed the interior of the car, especially at the unconscious former CIA agent next to her.

She reached into her suit and pulled out a small cellular phone. Pressing the "3" button on the phone, the phone went into speed dial mode and dialed the pre-programmed number. The phone rang for several seconds before the line became active. A voice said in Russian "Yes?" 

"We have him." The woman said in her feminine Russian accent. The response was immediate with a simple chuckle coming from the other end. The expression on the woman's face was one of confusion. "But sir we don't have Bond." She said in a confused response to the chuckle.

"Mister Bond is playing right into our plans my dear. Our plan has unfolded perfectly. As for Mister Leiter, bring him to the park." The voice responded back just before the lien went dead. The woman put the cell phone away in silence. She then leaned forward to the driver and directed him to the park and its eerie graveyard of the past.


	12. Suspicion And Rage

Chapter Twelve: Suspicion And Rage

Despite his anger at Carla, Bond managed to hide it as he walked out of the building and onto the street. Bond put the Walther back in its holster just moments before hearing a siren approaching in the distance. Bond looked around and saw that Felix and Gogol were gone. The Vanquish still sat where Bond had parked it, the engine still running, and with the passenger side door open. Bond rushed towards the Vanquish, fearing the worst for both of his allies.

As he did, Bond replayed the events in his mind, looking for a way that Carla could possibly have mistaken the man's actions as hostile towards him. The thought that would not stop running trough Bond's mind, however, was one he could not shake. It was a thought that seemed to fit the events that occurred since the ambush.

Could Carla be working for Janus? It was thought that was not unthinkable, considering that the man who created Janus was himself a traitor. Considering that Carla had been undercover at the Janus cell in London and that it was apparent there was a mole in the agency, Carla fit into the role of the traitor. But why should she betray MI6? Did she, like Alec Trevelyan a decade earlier, have some secret history? Could he trust her? Bond was not sure if he could, but he reminded himself of an important fact. He only had a theory, and one that the facts could fit into at that.

Before Bond looked inside the Vanquish, he once again took out his Walther and pointed it at the interior. The car was empty with no signs of Felix in it to be seen. There was no sign of force and Felix's gun, a 9mm ASP pistol, sat in the slim area between the passenger seat and the backseat. Bond put away his Walther and picked up the ASP. Judging from the weight, Felix hadn't managed to get a shot off at whoever had done this. But what was this? Had they been taken? Had they been killed and were sitting out in the park? All at once, the questions became unbearable to Bond and his need for revenge came in. Bond knew he had to control it, but he felt unable to do it. It was the dark side of a man given the duty and license to kill his fellow man that was the feeling of the need for revenge.

Bond turned back towards the building from which he had just exited and found that Carla was now running towards the Vanquish, her Walther drawn as well. Bond's instincts of suspicion kicked in and Bond raised his Walther and took him at Carla. Carla went from a full out sprint to a dead stop in a matter of two seconds and raised her Walther to aim at him.

"What are you doing?" Carla asked with a slight trembling in both her hands and in her voice. She hadn't expected this to happen. Her trembling was caused not only by fear but just very idea of facing down a 00-agent with a gun was enough to make her tremble.

"Put down the Walther or I'll shoot you!" Bond yelled as he took some cover behind the passenger door of the Vanquish. Bond looked down the barrel at his target. If Bond was right, Carla might know who was behind this and he couldn't kill her. Bond took aim at her right shoulder, hoping that this flesh wound would be enough to make her drop the Walther.

"What are you doing, James?" Carla yelled as she stood in the middle of the street. She needed to know what was happening. She needed to know what to do. This was something that training had missed. This was something she never imagined doing. There was a chance she was going to die.

"I'll shoot!" Bond yelled as he pressed off the safety on the Walther. He steadied his aim, making sure he was aimed at her shoulder. Bond wanted to yell one last time, but there wasn't time. It was now or never. Bond made up his mind and began to press down on the trigger when the sound of a gunshot filled the air and Bond felt sparks hit the back of his neck.

Carla became aware of it at the same moment Bond did. Carla turned and saw nothing to indicate a shooter. If this was a sniper, her only chance for survival was Bond. So she ran for the Vanquish, not quite sure what Bond might do. But as she neared the Vanquish, Bond lost interest in her and threw himself into the Vanquish.

Bond knew that the bullet had missed him by only an inch or less. The bullet had struck the cobalt armor on the Vanquish and had been deflected; the bullet sending off sparks on impact. Bond knew that he couldn't focus on Carla anymore and threw himself into the Vanquish and into the driver's seat. Before Bond could reach over to shut the door, Carla got into the passenger seat and slammed the door closed, just before another bullet struck the windshield where a second or so before Bond's head was without cover. Bond put the Vanquish into drive and pressed down hard on the gas peddle, sending the Vanquish out of the park area at nearly sixty miles an hour within seconds.

Another shot rang out. This time, the bullet struck the rear windscreen of the Vanquish. Thanks to the bulletproof glass installed by Q branch, the bullet bounced off without causing harm. The Vanquish had soon turned a corner and was soon out of the view of everyone in the area, leaving them to wonder what had just happened.

Carla looked trough the rear windshield to see if they were being chased when Bond put the barrel of his Walther against her head. Carla froze for a moment before deciding to see if she could get the gun of Bond's hand. She pulled back her head and grabbed Bond's arm, causing Bond to fire off a shot that impacted against the inside of the passenger door window, bouncing off into the car.

Bond raised his knees up to under the steering wheel, using them to control the Vanquish as he struggled to break free of Carla. Bond then sent Carla's head into the window, knocking her out and allowing Bond to get back control of the hand holding the Walther. Bond then aimed the Walther back at Carla, still apparently unconscious. Bond tried to figure out the safest place to go. He was compromised and that meant there could be a welcoming committee waiting for him at the hotel that him and Carla were set to go to. But Bond needed somewhere to go and it was the only place he could think of.


	13. Emotional Takeover

Chapter Thirteen: Emotional Takeover

Carla regained her senses shortly after the Vanquish stopped and before she could act, Bond was once again aiming the Walther at her head. She didn't move, her mind panicking, and her body on the verge. She breathing became rapid as she heard Bond click off the safety and put the gun directly against her forehead.

"Who are you?" Bond asked as he placed his left hand under his right, supporting the Walther.

"I'm Carla Midnight." Carla responded coolly, trying not to think about the Walther and its 9mm round that might destroy her brain and end her life at any moment.

"All right. We're going to go into the hotel and to our room and we'll talk there. Make anything hostile towards me and I will kill you. Understood?" Bond said coldly as he slowly reached for and then pressed the button to unbuckle her seat belt. Carla nodded silently. She then opened her door as Bond did the same, slowly placing the Walther back into its holster.

As they walked across the lobby to the front desk, nobody seemed to notice either Bond or Carla. Carla found this to be rather shocking considering what must have been plainly written on her face as pure despair. But Bond knew better. He knew that in this crime-ridden post-Cold War Russia, even the finest of hotels had their share of criminal activities and that nothing probably shocked the few rather rich looking people who sat around the hotel's lobby.

The check in had been fast and relatively easy with Bond and Carla checking in under the names of Mr. Thomas Saint and his wife Mrs. Catharine Saint. The false passports that they had registered under had worked and within fifteen minutes Bond and Carla were in their hotel suite. Carla had silently hoped that the check in would calm Bond's nerves. But within twenty seconds of the bellman leaving the room, Bond's eyes and attitude had turned ice cold. 

"I'll ask again, who are you?" Bond asked as he slowly walked across the spacious hotel suites lounging area towards the couch where Carla sat.

"I've all ready answered that question, Bond." Carla responded back.

"All right then," Bond said as he came to a stop and stood next to Carla, "whoa re you really working for?"

Carla became defensive quickly. "I work for MI6 just like you!" She yelled at Bond as she attempted to get up. But Bond grabbed her arms and held her down on the couch, using his weight to hold her down on the couch.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Get off of me!" Carla yelled, but Bond refused to be moved, even though Carla was giving him a tough time. She was stronger then he had previously thought and Bond was beginning to wonder if he could hold her down.

"Then answer me!" Bond yelled back at her as the two continued to struggle for control over the other.

"I work for MI6!" Carla yelled again as she finally was able to get her right leg loose and give Bond a hard kick to his inner thigh. Bond felt the sharp pain and for one brief moment let down both his grip and his guard. The brief moment proved to be enough for Carla to roll of the couch and into the floor. Bond tried to get off the couch, but there wasn't enough time for him to make the sprint to the door to stop her. Bond thought for a quick moment and in what seemed like slow motion, Bond reached into his right suit pocket and took out the ink pen Q had given him. In one swift motion he pointed it at Carla, twisted the top of the pen, and watched the pen's barbed projectile hit Carla just to the right of the end of her spine. Carla fell to the floor instantly and Bond stopped the pen's shocking effect. Carla lay on the floor, immobilized and in that eerie state between the conscience and unconscious worlds.

For the first time since he had begun to suspect her, Bond started to doubt his own suspicions. Carla's run to the door was nothing more then a simple defensive reflex brought on by his paranoia, or so he wanted to believe. Bond pulled the projectile out of Carla slowly as not to cause any more pain then he had to in the process. Carla slowly came back to full conscience as she turned her head and looked at Bond.

"I'm sorry." Bond said as he put the pen away. He then held out his hand in an attempt to help Carla brought her hand into his and smiled.

"I know." Carla said. For the first time since they had met, there was a moment of attraction between them. They both had a feeling, as old as humanity itself, and for the next few minutes they let that feeling take over and they walked across the suite, their lips together and into the suite's bedroom.


	14. Proper Introduction

Chapter Fourteen: Proper Introduction

Felix awoke on a cold hard ground. It was still daylight so he couldn't have been out long he thought to himself as he searched for his cane. But the search was in vain for his cane was nowhere near him. What was near him surprised him even more, "Statues?"

Felix wondered it aloud and soon realized he was staring into part of the shattered stone face of Vladimir Lenin. As Felix scanned the immediate area he recognized the faces of other leaders from the illustrious history of the Soviet Union. It might have been more then fifteen years put for some reason the statues survived even now, well after the ideology had died here.

"Need some help getting some, Mister Leiter?" A woman's voice called out in a Russian accent. Felix turned to see a blond haired woman standing by a mostly intact statue of the KGB's first leader Felix Dzerzhinsky. The woman seemed to be pretty tall and even more unusual was her clothing. She was dressed in the uniform of a Major in the former KGB.

"Yes right after I find out who you are." Felix cried out as he struggled to be able to move himself. It was now that he suddenly realized that his prosthetic leg had been removed. The woman smiled and walked towards him.

"I'm sure James has mentioned me. The last time we met was a long time ago and my hair color has changed since then." The woman said as he walked slowly even seductively towards Felix. Felix was quite sure who this was and began to think back to anything Bond might have told him.

One name came to his mind. It was from a long time ago indeed. The operation to find the missing subs, the operation that had stopped Stromberg from starting World War III. The woman, the KGB agent called XXX. Could it really be…

"Anya?" Felix called out. The woman smiled and her cold eyes focused on him. There was something in them. Something that Felix couldn't describe. Then one word came to mind. It wasn't what James had used to describe them either. He had used the term "loving' to describe them all those years ago. Now they were filled with something that was very much the polar opposite of that. They were filled with humanity's darkest feeling: evil.

"We need your help, Mister Leiter." Anya said as she moved her legs next to Felix's side. Felix braced himself for what he was sure was next. When it came, nothing could have prepared him for the pain. He felt his right foot strike him hard in the side and he knew for sure this wasn't an ally.

"Where's Gogol?" Felix said as he fought to regain control of his breathing. Anya smiled and laughed. Then she took her left foot and drove it into a spot that was a little more sensitive to Felix. Felix now fought two pains and there was nothing he could do about it.

"You mean me?" Anya said in Gogol's voice. Felix's face turned to a look of horror, dropping his defenses for a moment. And in that moment Anya would cause the greatest damage.


	15. Into The Breach

Chapter Fifteen: Into The Breach

Bond and Carla had begun to dress themselves again. Their moment had come and gone now. While their lovemaking had been fast and furious, there was now a silence between them that was describable only by the cliché of awkward silence.

They left the hotel room and walked down the hallway towards the elevator. Carla followed Bond, not quite knowing why. She knew she had to follow him. It was she had been ordered to do after all. She could only hope that things had gone according to plan.

Bond knew they had to leave. Their moments of lovemaking had possibly jeopardized them. Whoever was behind the resurrection of Janus should have tracked them down by now. If they knew when he and Carla were going to be at the airport, then why shouldn't they know what hotel they would be at? The hotel had been an answer to a moment of desperation. He had not lost suspicion of Carla either. They had just made love, but the events leading up to their arrival at the hotel still mattered. Either way, Bond suspected, his lingering suspicions would soon be proven one way or another.

Bond pressed the elevator's down button and turned towards Carla. She looked into his blue-gray eyes. Her look was one of apology. Apology for what though? Bond turned away from her., perhaps he was hiding something from her. Carla sensed that as her right hand reached into her pocket. She looked to the floor, almost saddened by what she was about to do.

The elevator opened. Two men stood in front of Bond. Bond took a brief second to survey them over, as if to sense their threat. Both had jet-black hair, full beards of the same color, black suits, and obvious muscular frames beneath them. The alarm in Bond's mind, honed by years as a double-o, went off. In a split second, Bond right hand gripped his Walther. Then he felt a sting beneath his left shoulder and his hand came off the Walther. He felt every nerve and muscle in his body tighten for a moment before he began to convulse. As he did, Bond braced himself for darkness once again.

Carla watched as Bond's body convulsed for some time. She let go of the button of the pen and within a moment Bond stopped convulsing. She reached down and extracted the pen's probe form his shoulder. He had shown mercy to her but not giving her the full shock. Now she had returned the favor, but his dose had been somewhat bigger. She signaled the two men, she didn't know their names, to drag him into the elevator. She followed them and pressed the button for the garage level under the hotel.

As The elevator made the short journey, Carla thought back to the events of the last couple of years. She had been a student then. A real-life combination of beauty and brains, or so the boys had school used to tell her. She was never certain if they were truthful or simply lusting for her. But what was at Cambridge, a world that no longer existed for her. It hadn't since a strange man had entered her life.

The day before Christmas her second year she had realized that Cambridge was not for her. She liked racing her motor bike and shooting with her then boyfriend on rifle ranges come weekends. That was how MI6, and the strange man named Terrence Letts, had entered her life. He was in his fifties with thinning white hair , a high voice, and wearing an ill-fitting light gray suit. He was representing Universal Exports and offering work that suited her academic and adventurous life style. She had been given an address in London to go to and was recommended to get a flat as well. That was when she and the boyfriend had split. He liked Cambridge and when in the middle of graduate studies.

After training, Letts told her to report to MI5 for their training. There she learned Russian, even though the reason wasn't apparent until later. Then she met the head of MI5, B, or Mrs. Vivian as she was known. She was Scotland Yard before MI5 got her and she had some experience with the elite and near-mythical double-o section of MI6. That meeting had led to Cartla being informed of the Janus cell. She given the cover of a former FSB agent in London, and ordered to infiltrate the cell.

The following months were a blur. It had been surprisingly easy to get into the cell. Her cover and legend worked like a dream. After some time, she had begun making progress and had dropped of a report after a meeting of the cells members where the plan to ambush Bond had been laid. She had dropped it off, knowing there was time before the ambush for her MI5 handler, whom she knew only by the name Stephen, to get it and warn MI6. She went to her flat and found two men, not unlike those in the elevator now, waiting for her. They had copies of her reports prior to the one she had dropped off minutes earlier. She denied it, but wouldn't call her bluff. They gave her two choices: die now, hung by them in an apparent suicide, or she could become their agent until she was transferred back. There wasn't much time left, so she agreed. But then came the call to her from Stephen telling her to report to MI6 followed by a phone call from a man calling himself "Janus". He ordered her to continue being an agent for Janus and to meet M or an ambush would be prepared for her. She agreed and went to the meeting at MI6 headquarters.

The door of the elevator opened. An ambulance sat in front of them, a stretched prepared for Bond. Carla stepped out and allowed the two men to bring Bond out. As They brought him by she reached into his pocket and pulled out the key ring containing the key to the Vanquish. She would follow the ambulance to its destination and meet the mysterious Janus whom had spoken to her.

As Bond was laid on the stretcher and strapped in, Carla leaned down next to Bond's ear. She looked for something to say to this man, her lover. She would only three words that seemed appropriate. "I'm sorry James."


	16. Game Time

Chapter Sixteen: Game Time

The smell of ammonia filled Bond's nostrils. He inhaled deeply and slowly. Slowly he found the strength to open his eyes. At first he wondered if he was experiencing déjà vu with the familiar stone figures Of Lenin and Stalin being around him. Then he knew it was not déjà vu, but a case of history repeating itself.

As Bond found the strength to stand up, he surveyed his surroundings. He had been lying in the dirt and next to him was a hurriedly dropped capsule of ammonia, normally used for reviving people who have passed out while donating blood and the like. He almost wondered if he had been left for dead as he searched himself for his Walther, still surprisingly holstered. He was considering drawing it when a voice he had not heard for years rang out from behind a statue of Stalin.

"We meet again, Commander." said a female voice with a slight Russian accent. Bond looked towards the sound of the voice and with something like amazement he saw a woman, a lover, from his past stepped out in front of him. Like him, she had aged well in the years since the last time they met. The main difference was that she had blond hair, and not the brown hair it had been. Her figure was virtually unchanged beneath the uniform of a Major in the KGB. The uniform struck Bond as odd given that the KGB was long gone, a specter from the past and a figment of imagination to the younger generation.

"It's been a long time, Anya. Forgive me for not calling you Major. I thought the KGB had been disbanded." Bond said as she stopped next to the statue of Stalin and stared him down. She was no longer a friend, Bond knew that. She was an enemy, if not the enemy. That would soon be apparent Bond believed.

"True enough. Something's never change, Commander, and neither does my loyalty. That's why we're both here, isn't it?" Anya said as she walked towards him again at a slow pace. Bond instinctively reached for the Walther and in a single motion drew it and pointed it towards Anya. Anya didn't stop. She kept walking at the same pace towards him and laughed in amusement. "Apparently I was right. What are you going to do, uh? Shoot me? Just like Elektra King? Come on, James." There was a tone of arrogance and menace in her voice.

There was a quick and sudden sight of the beautiful Elektra King, his once time lover and oil heiress who had murdered her father at MI6 headquarters, as Bond had been pulled forced to kill her upon ordering a nuclear explosion to destroy Istanbul. Her body dropping onto the bed, the life pouring out of her face and body as blood spoiled the white sheets of the bed. It wasn't the first time he'd seen a lover killed, but it was the first time he had been forced to pull the trigger. Bond faced that moment again, here and now with Anya. He couldn't do it now.

"All right. You're right, Anya." Bond said as he decided to lower his Walther. He loosened his grip before letting the Walther hang from his index finger. Anya nodded and threw it to her, landing just a foot or so in front of her.

"So, James welcome back. It's been ten years since you last stood here. Alec Trevelyan let you in on his little secret. Would you like me to do the same?" Bond couldn't believe what he was hearing. She hadn't moved towards the Walther, her tone of voice was the same. Bond looked at her a bit quizzically, not sure what to make of the situation.

"You're offering to indulge in a cliché? You weren't a big fan of the West the last time we met. And judging from the uniform you're still not." The sarcasm wasn't lost on Anya. She smiled and gave Bond a nod.

"Yes, Commander I'm indulging one of your clichés. I just want you to understand why all this has happened. Why we systematically hunted down MI6 agents, why we recruited Carla, and why you're here. You want to know that at least. I know you, James. Its part of how you operate, you always get your enemy to reveal what they're up to." Anya said. Bond noticed that she didn't move and she didn't blink. Bond had noticed that she had finally used his Christian name James, not just Commander. Was it for personal or professional reasons? Bond wasn't sure, but he was sure of one thing. While he wasn't sure of Anya's game, she knew his.

"All right, Anya. Say what you've got to say."


	17. What Is Past Is Prologue

Chapter Seventeen: What Is Past Is Prologue

Chapter Seventeen: What Is Past Is Prologue

It had been chaos when Anya and Gogol had arrived at the Archangel Bio-weapons facility on that typical Russian morning in 1986. They had flown by helicopter directly from Moscow and had arrived a few hours later after having to make a stop for refueling. The situation had been much the way that Colonel **Ourumov** had said: the entire weapons creation facility had been destroyed. That much had been in the plan yet there was something that hadn't been planned on.

"He's over there in the tent." Colonel **Ourumov** said to them after the trio had exchanged salutes. Anya followed **Ourumov and then Gogol towards a tent and past various bodies of dead soldiers, some dead from bullet wounds, some dead from burns, some screaming and crying as they slowly died on the frozen runway. This much had been planned on, after all the operation had to look convincing. Her former ally, lover…enemy named James had to be convinced. There could be no slight hint that…**

**The tent opened and Anya and Gogol stepped in. Ourumov entered behind them and shut the flap to the tent. Inside was two or three doctors, there white lab coats stained with blodd that was not red but a mixture of red and brown. Anya knew what that meant all too well. It meant that there was both dried blood and relatively fresh blood on them. Suddenly one of the Doctors moved and both Gogol and Anya caught their first glimpse of the man the whole thing had been planned around: Alec Trevelyan** formerly 006 of MI6's elite 00 section. Yet it was not quite the man she had seen pictured. An entire side of his face was burned, scarred. This was the part of the operation that hadn't gone according to plan.

Gogol signaled Anya and **Ourumov to follow him outside. Ourumov followed him but Anya hesitated for just a moment and it was the exact moment that Trevelyan's sedatives wore off and he awoke. Trevelyan seemed stunned and agonized for a moment but then his eyes caught sight of Anya. For a moment their eyes made contact and he said only one word: "Anya."**

"So the entire Archangel thing was a elaborate defection for Alec?" Bond found himself saying in near disbelief. That made some sense but it would have meant that Alec had some time to prepare and arrange it, something that was supposed to be impossible from what Bond knew. Anya stared at him and gave a slight smile.

"Oh yes, James. Alec was never quite what he seemed. It turns out that Stalin didn't quite have the…hold over his intelligence people like he thought he did. In fact your American friend Leiter called Alec a "Manchurian Candidate" I think was the term. I assume it means the same thing as an illegal."

The words "Manchurian Candidate" and "illegal" rang through Bond's mind and unlocked some information from the past. The two terms were in fact very similar, though the first term normally involved some time of mind-control as favored by many of the internet's conspiracy theorists. Bond knew what the term illegal meant: agents carefully planted in a Western country whose identities were usually based on someone who had died at an early age. Somebody in the KGB would find a suitable identity and then build up a "legend" for them via the sort of official documentation that makes one a "person" in the eyes of Western governments. Suddenly Bond realized exactly what was being implied: "So who was Alec really?"

"Alec existed, James. The real boy died when his father killed his mother so Alec wasn't lying. The person I," there was a pause as if a lump had suddenly come to Anya's throat before she corrected herself "you came to know as Alec I never knew his real name. He was KGB trained, deposited into Britain, and recruited by one Barry Hinchcliff and you know the rest."

"No I don't. What does this have to do with you and Gogol? Where is he and where's Felix?!" Bond suddenly demanded as he took a slight step towards Anya. Suddenly there was a crack and a bullet hit the ground just centimeters in front of Bond's right foot. Bond stopped and retreated a little before turning in the direction the shot had come from. Next to a statue stood Carla, a Walther in her hand pointed at Bond.

"I told you not to fire Midnight!" Anya suddenly barked as Carla stepped towards Bond. Carla lowered the pistol some and everyone seemd to, for lack of a better word, relax. Anya looked at Bond but she had noticed that bond's eyes now starred at Carla with a earning for revenge. "Don't worry James," Anya suddenly said in Gogol's voice. Bond knew what had happened now and it made sense. "As for Leiter he's resting comfortably nearby in your fast car. Don't worry you'll see him soon, I promise. I also promise you a time for darkness will come for you soon."

Bond seemed to nod at Carla before turning his attention back to Anya. "If that's so why tell me any of this? Why not shot me now?" Bond seemed to be demanding his own death. Typical British arrogance Anya thought as she considered his question. Should she tell him about her and Alec? What difference would it make? Bond had killed both of the men she loved and now it was after so many years her turn to repay him.

"Have you ever thought of who was Alec's KGB source? Where he learned of Goldeneye? How he got Onatopp into the facility with **Ourumov? Haven't you ever wondered?" Anya pleaded with him as she drew a little closer to him with each question. The pieces of the puzzle called the past suddenly fell into place in Bond's mind. The questions he'd never asked, the loose ends, they were converging here and now like a web with him at the middle. Only he was the prey and the spider sat before him. **

"**So all Alec did was use you're influence with the former KGB to get the Goldeneye? And you're statement earlier when you said 'I', you two were lovers?" Bond said standing still as Carla looked between him and Anya. Bond stared at Anya with his cold eyes searching her soul it seemed for answers. **

"**Oh yes. We were both distressed by the collapse of the Soviet Union and its descent into Western decadence and chaos. We sought to stop it by becoming part of it and using our influence to try and rebuild Soviet power. We wanted to cripple the West and give the Soviet Union a chance to breate to live again! How better to cripple the West how better then with the ultimate weapon? At least that was the plan until you showed up talking to Zukovksy." Anya's tone had changed from one of disgust to joy to the point of near tears. Bond braced himself for anything yet it couldn't prepare him for the quick he received to his groin that's ent him to the ground gasping for breath.**

"**You ruined me! You killed Sergi and then Alec! And for what James? For some fancy clothes, fast cars, and thanks from your Queen, James, that's what! If it hadn't been for the infighting I would have been in Cuba for the final countdown! But I was left to watch as you killed him and destroyed everything. I swore to destroy you and MI6 but the infighting had all ready begun. I watched as all our work was destroyed and I had to rebuild. I traveled the world for a while, activating old KGB agents to form a new group and they hunted down your agents one by one. And then came Midnight," Anya suddenly turned towards Carla.**

"**What about her?" Bond asked still gasping for breath. Anya bent down to Bond's eye level. Bond could tell from a look in her eye what had happened. Anya then spoke quietly to him.**

"**You all ready know. Carla was sent to infiltrate the London cell. But she got caught and she turned. That's why she killed the guy on that roof top. He would have exposed her. You were right to suspect her. But it doesn't matter now." Anya stood back up and walked about four feet away. Bond saw an opportunity but he needed two very important things: the strength to get up and to know that his instincts were right. Bond could be sure about one but not the other.**

"**It doesn't matter because in a few short hours MI6 will no longer exist. An entire building in London will be brought down from within James and it will all end. I will watch of course but before I leave there is something I must do," Anya looked at Carla and held out her right arm. "Give me the pistol Midnight." For a moment Bond looked at Carla, who hesitated and wouldn't move her aim from Bond. Then Carla gave a rather odd gesture: a wink of her left eye. It was cliché but it was all Bond needed.**

**Bond put both of his arms to the ground and used them to push himself up into a standing position. As he came up nearly fully raised height, Bond rotated ****the heel of his right show clockwise. That action, applied with the pressure of him pushing himself up, sent an electrical signal to the small specially modified .357 Magnum cartridge. There was a slight burning on the side of his leg as Anya's chest suddenly turned into a heavy mist of blood. Anya looked at him for a moment and then at Carla before reaching for her chest and falling to the ground face first. **

**Carla turned to cover Anya as Bond reached down in front of him and retrieved his Walther. Anya began to cough and Bond could see that blood was now beginning to trickle from Anya's lips. For a moment as he rolled her over, he thought back to all those years earlier on the train to Sardinia, the Atlantis escape pod, and their final night together in his flat in London. Those were the times he had kissed those lips and even though she was his "enemy" then he never could have foreseen this. This was not how it was supposed to end between them here and now. **

"**My time's come before yours. But your time will come…"Anya said, her voice suffering strain from the blood in her throat. Bond looked at her with a sympathetic look he hadn't given to a women in a while. The same look he had given to the bodies of two previous lovers Paris and Elektra. He had avenged one of their deaths but the other…**

**Anya coughed one last time and she slipped out of out conscious existence. Bond held her for a moment before setting the Walther down for a moment and using his now free hand to close Anya's eyes. As Bond laid her body on the ground the sound of yelling in Russian suddenly filled the air. For what had seemed an eternity had been only a few seconds. This was but a battle, Bond told himself. He reached back for the Walther and in a swift motion picked it up and stood up, turning to Carla in the process. **

"**Where's the Vanquish?" **


End file.
